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Bluetick's and thyroid issues

Do you guys that own and breed Blue Dogs, have much problems with thyroid issues.

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www.ConkeysOutdoors.com
"Boss Lights"

My guess is that anything that was tightly line bred going back to the Elbert Vaughn line of dogs does.

Elbert has been dead now close to 40 years but there were people still trying to carry that line of dogs on for years after his passing.

I raised a litter from a grandson of Mack II that I had to keep on thyroid meds from 2 yrs old. We didn’t discover the issue until after the litter were adults.

I’d hunted with (3) generations prior and all those dogs died at 7-8yrs old. They all from 3 yrs old on didn’t take the cold well either. My vet was the one that suspected the thyroid issue. Tests proved his suspicions were correct. We put them on the meds and it was daily administered for the rest of their lives. Meds were pretty cheap as I recall at the time and were given once daily for the rest of their lives.

As many of you know, a good share of the blueticks today
if you go back far enough will find Elbert Vaughns dogs there. Northern Blue, Uchtmans, Smokey River, Sebastian,
Bragg just to name a few. Though most of the afore mentioned are deep back in todays dogs my guess is the thyroid issues still pop up.

Dogs with thyroid issues should not be bred.

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Dan

BLUEDOGS

HAVE RAISED THE SAME LINE FOR 40 YEARS WITH NOT ONE THYROID ISSUE. <v>

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Blue Dog 1

Bruce I've wondered the same thing. I've seen it in Walkers and wondered if it wa the same in the other breeds.

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Tom Wood

I'd say no. And I have a reasoning for that answer.

On average of say most blue dog owners don't hunt as hard as guys hunting competition with walkers. And the competition dogs seem to be diagnosed earlier than pleasure dogs. And since blue dogs are the second most registered breed, but seem to be the lowest count at hunts means most never see a comp hunt. But its just a theory and opinion. I'd bet all the dogs from years ago that were "blown up" were thyroid dogs though. It only makes sense for them to be thyroid dogs.

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Eric DePue
Hill Country Kennels Itty-Bitty
PKC CH Wax's Late Night Boom
And
Partners on a few common trashy young dogs

Gone but not forgotten

GrNtCh, PKC Ch Hillbilly Bildo
Pr Broken Oaks Wild Blue Gypsy

I have a 5 year old female that has always been intolerant of the cold if it gets below 40.Used to could at least tree 1 coon a night most nights and but has always lost hustle after first tree I’ve always though she might have a thyroid issue just never pushed her hard hunting wise.But this year she’s only treed one coon and can’t finish a track and will grab trees out of laziness so I’m leaning on going and get her tested.

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'PR' Pollards Sthrn Roots Memphis

thyroid

I have tested 6-7 dogs in the last ten years. All blueticks and one crossbreed. It has been a little while since Ive been to the vet but I think most want to see the range from 1 to 4 to be considered normal and anything under 1 can be considered low and may or may not be recommended treatment. I have never seen any of the dogs I tested, with a number over 1 and never thought to have had a hypothyroid dog except one male that I still have now. He shows symptoms of a thyroid dog but none of the others did and I have no other reason to believe they needed any sort of medication other then the number or diagram shown to me by my vet. The one that showed symptoms we put on a on going trial of synthetic thyroid medication and messed around with it for years. It was obvious after a week or so that the meds helped and gave him back the energy he used to have...take him off and right back into the symptoms he had before and not as much drive in the woods. I took him in countless times to check his level after being on meds and never saw his number go over 1.2 and that was when I was giving him four of the .8mg a day. Overall he operated best for me on two .8 pills given to him at the same time in the middle of the day. (the four you could easily tell was too much).

I know there is a million different scenarios and everyone's situation can be different with this kind of stuff but all of the dogs I have tested would have been considered low as to what Im hearing out there but I dont see any obvious symptoms and not going to put a dog on that type of medication unless its a last case scenario. They hunt fine for me and if they covered any more country then they already do I would just be turning loose and driving roads around to catch up.

Blue dog issues

I’ve been raising and hunting Blueticks my whole life. Dad bought me my 1st Bluetick the week I was born. I’ve never been without one in 45 years. I’ve never had one with a thyroid issue. Plenty of them have had issues treeing coon but it wasn’t because they had a thyroid issue. Lol

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Walz' Coontree Blueticks (262) 424-6813
Home of:
GRNITECH CH PR' Walz' Coontree Joker (NITECH PR' Walz' Coontree Mindy X GRNITECH PR' Mad Dog Anti-Up Joker)
High Scoring Bluetick male at the 2014 World Hunt
King of hunt @ 2015 Bluetick Reunion

GRNITECH 'PR' Walz' Queen of Coontree Music (GRNITECH PR' Nashoba Valley Piazon X GRNITECH CH PR' B&D"s Blue Queen)
2015 Wisconsin State Champion
2015 Badger State Champion
2016 Wisconsin State Champion

GRNITECH 'PR' Walz' Coontree Twilite Mercy (GRNITECH GRCH 'PR' Blue Creek Gauge x GRNITECH 'PR' B&D's Blue Queen)

GRNITECH GRCH 'PR' Walz Coontree Rebecca (GRNITECH 'PR' Walz Coontree Joker x GRNITECH 'PR' Walz Coontree Queen)

GONE BUT WILL NEVER FORGET:
GRCH NITECH 'PR' Walz' Coontree Melody

I've never had a reason to even test one and I've raised Blueticks for almost 40 years.

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Mike Sheppard
Sheppard's Northern Blue's
Home of UKC GR NT CH, PKC CH
2 time world finalist, 10th overall and high scoring Bluetick of the 2010 UKC World Coonhound Championship
NASHOBA VALLEY PIAZON, (RIP)
his littermate brother
UKC NT CH SHEPPARDS NORTHERN
BLUE LONER (RIP)
UKC GR NT CH RATTLERS BLUE SKY (RIP)
UKC Gr NT CH, PKC Ch Sheppard's Northern Blue Abbie, (PiazonxSky) UKC GR NT CH 'pr' Sheppards Northern Blue Punkin (PiazonXAlice) High scoring Bluetick of the 2015 (50th anniversary) Grand American, 2017 National Grand Nite Champion of breed, 2017 BBOA zone 4 Nite hunt dog of the year. Queen of hunt on 2019 Grand National Bluetick Reunion, 5th place and High Scoring Bluetick of 2019 UKC world Nite hunt Championship, 2019 Triple Crown Winner.
UKC GR NT CH 'pr' Mckintosh's Blue Flame Chopper
Gr Nt Ch Sheppards Northern Blue Goomba (Piazon X Dizzie) 14th place 2017 UKC world coon hound championship 100 purina point cast wins in 2018
and several other blueticks of lesser accomplishments